Suffragette

As I woman, I think about how each choice affects women's power. I have grown up in a culture of strong women who work hard but still in Ireland women are fighting to be 30% of the government. This film is about how one working woman came to be involved in women's suffrage in England. We see how little power she had at work - she was one of generations of women who worked in a laundry and anticipated an early work related death. Most working class families were eeking out a living and in times when birth control was illegal, women were weaken by constant pregnancies. There was huge cultural pressure on everybody to maintain the status quo. Not to join unions, to accept that the aristocracy knew what was best and that a man was the leader of the family. Following WW1 working people who died in the trenches were weary of blindly following social strata. Women were powerless on all fronts and, like in Saudi Arabia, there was no legal means of protest. The acting is stellar, the script is good (although I hate the part when Ms Streep quotes Buzz Lightyear) and its an era that deserves far more screen time. Issues like equal pay and sexual harassment have yet to be dealt with and we are a long way from equal power. Lots done - More to Do !

This story of how in 1912 and 1913 British women fought for the right to vote is immensely worthy, technically accomplished and well-acted but, as cinema, it somehow fails to engage. At the conclusion of the movie, we are reminded that it was not until 1928 that full women's suffrage was achieved in the UK and even today women in a country like Saudi Arabia do not have the vote. The very act of creating this film is a contemporary testimony to female equality since, as well as all the lead acting roles, women fill the positions of writer (Abi Morgan) and director (Sarah Gavron) as well as producers (six out of the nine). The female domination of "Suffragette" serves to underline how few films ate directed and written by women and how underpaid female actors are compared to their male counterparts. The struggle for equality is not over. Although the leadership of the suffragette movement came from middle-class women, Morgan has chosen to tell the story through the eyes of a working class laundry worker Maud Watts, wonderfully portrayed by Carey Mulligan - whom I have admired since her performance in "An Education" (2009) - who is brought into the movement by fellow worker Violet (Anne-Marie Duff). Other suffragettes are played by Helena Bonham- Carter (actually a descendant of a Prime Minister who opposed votes for women), Romola Garai (whose career does not seem to have taken off as much as she deserves), and - in an all too tiny cameo - Meryle Streep as Emmeline Pankhurst.

As we struggle and grapple with contemporary inequality issues – race, the economic divide, gay rights, etc – it is well to see this film, reminding us that it has been less than a century since women's rights were recognized and women made equal to men in voting, parental rights (if not economic equality….) and presence in politics and entertainment. Abi Morgan's script is excellent as is Sarah Gavron's direction, and with the superlative support of a cast of gifted actors this film breathes reality, memory, and reminders of a status struggle of the fairly recent past. SUFFRAGETTE tracks the story of the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State in England. These women were not primarily from the genteel educated classes; they were working women who had seen peaceful protest achieve nothing. Radicalized and turning to violence as the only route to change, they were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality - their jobs, their homes, their children and their lives. Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) was one such foot soldier. The opposite side of the feminist movement is well presented by Maud's husband Sonny (Ben Whishaw (on of the more gifted actors on the screen today) who provides a degree of bilateral balance, a man who loves his wife and child and simply does not want to see his family endangered by Maud's growing involvement in the movement. Other brilliant performances are offered by Anne-Marie Duff, Romola Garai, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleason, Natalie Press and Meryl Streep as the queen of the movement Emmeline Pankhurst. The story of Maud's fight for dignity is as gripping and visceral as any thriller, it is also heart breaking and inspirational. An altogether brilliant film. Grady Harp, February 16

Suffragette (2015) is a Directoral collaboration between Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane) and writer Abi Morgan (Iron Lady), funded by the British Film Institute. Carey Mulligan is compelling as Maud watts, the Laundry worker who discovers the WSPU through Violet Miller (Ann Marie Duff) and Shopkeeper Edith Ellyn (Helena Bonham Carter). Their WSPU cohorts are Mrs Withers, Emily Davison, Mrs Haughton (Romola Garai)and WSPU founder Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep)who is only in the film for a few minutes. The film is an Historical drama, not biopic set in London that follows the early members of the Women's Social and Political Union and their radicalisation from peaceful protesters to law breakers. The film documents WSPU's secret meetings to discuss tactics when protests and parliamentary evidence fail to win women the vote. After further mistreatment by employers, police and political lies by Lloyd George the suffragettes decide to increase their activism through civil disobedience causing damage to Oxford Street windows, postboxes, churches and politicians homes. Police surveillance and arrests lead to the suffragette's imprisonment and hunger strikes. The script and acting is powerful and emotional and the film is a well directed attempt by Gavron to tell the Suffragettes story with compassion covering the impact on working class women, middle class educated women and the Gentry. The Director further develops socio-economic divisions by including the suffragettes husbands struggle to support their wives activism through Mr Watts, Mr Ellyn and Mr Haughton.

At the end of the movie, the claim was made that in 1920 women gained the right to vote in the United States. This is inaccurate. Only White women gained this right. Black women didn't get the right to vote until the 1960s. This fact should have been clarified. The film itself was okay. Not sure how accurate it was which is what you can expect with most "based on true events" movies.

The first feature film I can remember dealing with the fight for women's voting rights in the United Kingdom, puts its subject across respectfully, if carefully. Most of the major events I've read about historically on the movement's road to enfranchisement are covered in the film, like the letterbox campaign, attack on Lloyd George's house, their hunger strike and resultant force-feeding in prison and most famously the shocking martyrdom of Emily Davidson who ran onto Epsom racecourse on Derby Day in front of the King's horse, the latter very realistically. The device used by the writer and director to get the viewer close to the action is through the invented Carey Mulligan character Maud Watts, a young factory worker, docilely married to her husband and the doting mother of their infant son, who develops an interest in the suffragette movement through a work colleague. Stepping in for the latter at an important consultation with a UK Government committee on votes for women, she finds herself, initially unwillingly, drawn into activism on behalf of the cause. I did feel the film somewhat overdid her travails and some of the coincidental events in her life. We learn indirectly that her male employer has abused her at work since she was a child and is now doing so to another pre-teen girl at the factory. Her husband doesn't understand her new found politicism and in short order expels her from their house, denies her access to her son and eventually has him adopted without her knowledge. She too is the one accompanying Davidson to the Derby. While I laud the equally important political point of maternal rights to their children in the event of marital separation being argued along with voter's rights, I did feel that the world seemed to revolve too much around Mulligan's character. She thus comes across more as a cipher than a real person and the film might have played better if she had been based on a real person. I also felt the sub-plot about the child-molesting boss jarred somewhat and belonged in a different film entirely, the two main causes didn't need this extra justification, heinous as the crimes are. While I'm criticising, I also felt the cliff-hanging direction style employed (especially in the build-up to the Derby climax) was overdone with looming orchestral swells in the background and a virtual countdown to the incident itself, to be somewhat inconsistent with the seriousness of the subject matter. The acting is good by most of the leads, Mulligan in particular. Quite why they rolled out the barrel to find a place in the cast for Meryl Streep to deliver a brief but showy cameo as the cause's figurehead Emmeline Pankhurst, I don't know. Nevertheless in its gritty depiction of the privations and struggles of the brave women who challenged the male-dominated political landscape of the day, this film deserves admiration and recognition for its subject matter if not quite for its execution.

Suffragette packs a punch. It's a soldiering tribute to the women who fought for the right to vote and paved the way for the feminist movement in the UK. While the script might be a little too biopic friendly, it's still a rousing film full of outstanding performances. Director Sarah Gavron wisely frames the conflict through the eyes of Maud (Carey Mulligan), and she keeps the drama at an intimate level, all while hinting at the larger scope of the movement nationwide. Instead of going big, Suffragette puts us in the shoes of Maud Watts, an outsider to the movement, who works as a launderer. What I really liked about the film is that you hear murmurs about this group led by the charismatic Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep) and their activities throughout the first half of the film. They are sort of portrayed as a small-scale movement that won't cause much damage, but when Maud decides to get involved and get active, we see firsthand how powerful the group is. Obviously with a film like this many know the story already, yet Gavron and writer Abi Morgan literally put you in Maud's shoes as she gets deeper into the action, with protests and bombings aplenty. Carey Mulligan is a revelation as Maud. Her best performance since An Education, Mulligan is pitch perfect for the role. She's such a natural actor that practically everything she feels, you feel alongside her. Gavron favors close-ups of the women in these harsh work conditions, and it works at getting underneath their skin and bringing the raw emotion to life. Other suffragettes Edith Ellyn (Helena Bonham Carter), Violet (Anne-Marie Duff), and Emily (Natalie Press) make quite an impact too. It isn't exactly an ensemble cast - Mulligan carries most of the film's weight - but it's nice having supporting characters that make a lot of background noise and are actually memorable characters rather than props. Unfortunately Meryl Streep doesn't have that same luxury. Her character is portrayed as a god-like being, and while this might have been true for the suffragettes, she is only present in the film for less than five minutes and doesn't make a lasting impression on the audience. The script is marvelous at bringing to life early 20th century London, and the production design is gorgeous. The murky city breathes deep, as the dark alleys where these women plot their attacks is paralleled with the brighter scenes of the lawmakers in Parliament. The film on the whole has a feeling of a pot on a burner, ready to boil over any minute. It's a testament to the writing and direction that can convey a sense of natural urgency driven by history. Additionally a beautiful score from Alexandre Desplat (my favorite composer) accompanies the action and keeps the lows low and the highs high. The brilliant script works at showing how Maud and the activists practiced civil disobedience and "unladylike" tactics while facing oppression from both home and the government. It does grow a bit tiresome towards the end, however, and the finale doesn't quite have the impact that it might have expected. There are many moments that could be considered climactic, and the one chosen is brilliant, but the falling action leads to a poor final few minutes. Of course it ends with typical true story text and a list of countries when women gained the right to vote (which is genius), but the ending could've been a little more out-of-the-box than what we got. Another coat of polish could've elevated Suffragette from a striking biopic to something in a league of its own. Regardless, Suffragette falls under the category of "essential viewing," and it manages to be both entertaining and important. Nailing that balance for films like this is key, and Suffragette brings a wallop.

'SUFFRAGETTE': Four Stars (Out of Five) Historical drama flick; about the beginning of the first feminist movement, in early 1900's Britain. It was directed by Sarah Gavron and written by Abi Morgan. It stars Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw, Anne-Marie Duff, Natalie Press and Meryl Streep (in a cameo appearance). The film has received mostly positive reviews from critics, and it could possibly become an upcoming awards contender. I found the movie to be educational, somewhat emotional (at times) and inspiring. The film tells the story of a 24-year-old young woman, named Maud Watts (Mulligan). Maud was a wife, mother and laundress; in the UK, during the early 1900's. One day, while trying to deliver a package, she recognizes a co-worker, named Violet (Duff), who's involved in a suffragette riot (destroying windows). Maud is later asked to testify, for the right to vote, in place of Violet; due to the fact that Violet's husband severely beat her. After that, Maud gets extremely caught up in the movement; much to the disappointment of her husband, Sonny (Whishaw), who kicks her out of their house, because of it. Maud continues to sacrifice more and more, for the fight, including losing contact with her young son, George (Adam Michael Dodd). I really like movies about rebellion; and what's more inspiring than a film about half the population, fighting back against the corrupt system, which oppresses it? In that way, the movie can't miss. It's well directed, decently written and powerfully acted (Mulligan is especially impressive in the lead). Streep is only in one scene of the film; and it's extremely manipulative, for the advertisers to have used her so much to sell the movie (that's not the filmmakers' fault though). I only wish the film would have been a little more emotional; it's very dramatic at times, but it seems like it could have done a little more. Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/CoUgbXLzKSQ

It can be risky critiquing a film homage to heroines of feminism, especially one with a star cast that includes Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Whishaw and a Meryl Streep cameo. Respect for the cause, however, does not guarantee respect for the film, and this one chooses a very limited lens with which to view this episode of history. It does have high production values, narrative authenticity and sensitivity for the feminist struggle in early 20th century Britain. But it gets lost in balancing the broader sweep of history that shapes gender relations and the impact of particular individuals. The story line is uni-linear, the atmosphere dark and claustrophobic, and much of the acting is melodramatic, with long close-ups of Mulligan's finely nuanced expressions recording her progress from an abused laundry worker to what today would be called a radicalised political terrorist. The historical lens is so myopic that you could walk away believing the vote was won by a few protesting women, the bombing of some public letterboxes and a suffragette who threw herself under the King's horse. No more struggle…job done! Of course, that is not true and the struggle continues. Despite these limitations, it's a finely crafted British film. The fictional heroine Maude Watts is an avatar for the British working class women who risked everything, including their lives, in fighting for the vote. Men of all classes are the demons of this tale, and one of its chilling insights is how the most dangerous enemies of suffragettes were husbands. Patriarchal governments left it to ordinary menfolk to sort out their unruly women in an era where wives were legally subordinate to husbands. Maude's contempt for her treatment at work and home propels her into the swirling orbit of violent protest where "war is the only language men listen to". Evicted by her husband for shaming him, she is left with nothing; by law, even her son was her husband's property. During the struggles, over one thousand British women were imprisoned and treated shamefully, a fact only acknowledged in the film's closing credits. Admittedly, historical judgement is difficult to translate into cinematic language, but many films have done it better. If you are interested in the history of feminist struggle from the viewpoint of the small people who made up the bigger story you will like this film.

Not as expected. A bit of a waste of great resources and actors who sadly didn't make me feel much. Despite their best efforts with good performances, there's something lacking in this film, the emotion is just not there. Something doesn't work, maybe the script but I had high hopes and I couldn't wait to see this film and now I feel like I haven't missed out on anything special.The story also is a bit sketchy.It's a shame this was a great opportunity to show and probably educate many people about how hard it has been to make progress in certain aspects of history. Unfortunately it falls short of history background.A missed opportunity on the director's part.